29
And he called his name Noah, saying, This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil ofour hands, because of the ground which the Lord hath cursed.
32
Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve seed ofour father.
• • •
34
And it came to pass on the morrow, that the firstborn said unto the
younger, Behold, I lay yesternight with my father: let us make him drink
wine this night also; and go thou in, and lie with him, that we may preserve seed ofour father.
6
Hear us, my lord: thou art a mighty prince among us: in the choice ofour sepulchres bury thy dead; none of us shall withhold from thee his sepulchre, but that thou mayest bury thy dead.
7
And they said, The man asked us straitly ofour state, and ofour kindred, saying, Is your father yet alive? have ye another brother? and we told him according to the tenor of these words: could we certainly know that he would say, Bring your brother down?
4
Why should the name ofour father be done away from among his family, because he hath no son? Give unto us therefore a possession among the brethren ofour father.
2
And they said, The Lord commanded my lord to give the land for an inheritance by lot to the children of Israel: and my lord was commanded by the Lord to give the inheritance of Zelophehad our brother unto his daughters.
3
And if they be married to any of the sons of the other tribes of the children of Israel, then shall their inheritance be taken from the inheritance ofour fathers, and shall be put to the inheritance of the tribe whereunto they are received: so shall it be taken from the lot ofour inheritance.
4
And when the jubile of the children of Israel shall be, then shall their inheritance be put unto the inheritance of the tribe whereunto they are received: so shall their inheritance be taken away from the inheritance of the tribe ofour fathers.
11
Wherefore our elders and all the inhabitants ofour country spake to us, saying, Take victuals with you for the journey, and go to meet them, and say unto them, We are your servants: therefore now make ye a league with us.
12
This our bread we took hot forour provision out ofour houses on the day we came forth to go unto you; but now, behold, it is dry, and it is mouldy:
• • •
24
And they answered Joshua, and said, Because it was certainly told thy servants, how that the Lord thy God commanded his servant Moses to give you all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you, therefore we were sore afraid ofour lives because of you, and have done this thing.
24
And when the people saw him, they praised their god: for they said, Our god hath delivered into our hands our enemy, and the destroyer ofour country, which slew many of us.
20
And Naomi said unto her daughter in law, Blessed be he of the Lord, who hath not left off his kindness to the living and to the dead. And Naomi said unto her, The man is near of kin unto us, one ofour next kinsmen.
3
¶ And when the people were come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, Wherefore hath the Lord smitten us to day before the Philistines? Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of Shiloh unto us, that, when it cometh among us, it may save us out of the hand ofour enemies.
10
And they cried unto the Lord, and said, We have sinned, because we have forsaken the Lord, and have served Baalim and Ashtaroth: but now deliver us out of the hand ofour enemies, and we will serve thee.
9
¶ And all the people were at strife throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, The king saved us out of the hand ofour enemies, and he delivered us out of the hand of the Philistines; and now he is fled out of the land for Absalom.
17
And David went out to meet them, and answered and said unto them, If ye
be come peaceably unto me to help me, mine heart shall be knit unto you:
but if ye be come to betray me to mine enemies, seeing there is no wrong in mine hands, the God ofour fathers look thereon, and rebuke it.
• • •
19
And there fell someof Manasseh to David, when he came with the Philistines against Saul to battle: but they helped them not: for the lords of the Philistines upon advisement sent him away, saying, He will fall to his master Saul to the jeopardy ofour heads.
35
And say ye, Save us, O God ofour salvation, and gather us together, and deliver us from the heathen, that we may give thanks to thy holy name, and glory in thy praise.
13
Be of good courage, and let us behave ourselves valiantly for our people, and for the cities ofour God: and let the Lord do that which is good in his sight.
2
Then David the king stood up upon his feet, and said, Hear me, my brethren, and my people: As for me, I had in mine heart to build an house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and for the footstool ofour God, and had made ready for the building:
• • •
8
Now therefore in the sight of all Israel the congregation of the Lord, and in the audience ofour God, keep and seek for all the commandments of the Lord your God: that ye may possess this good land, and leave it for an inheritance for your children after you for ever.
10
¶ Wherefore David blessed the Lord before all the congregation: and David said, Blessed be thou, Lord God of Israel our father, for ever and ever.
• • •
18
O Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, our fathers, keep this for ever in the imagination of the thoughts of the heart of thy people, and prepare their heart unto thee:
6
And said, O Lord God ofour fathers, art not thou God in heaven? and rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen? and in thine hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to withstand thee?
27
¶ Blessed be the Lord God ofour fathers, which hath put such athing as this in the king’s heart, to beautify the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem:
17
And I sent them with commandment unto Iddo the chief at the place Casiphia, and I told them what they should say unto Iddo, and to his brethren the Nethinims, at the place Casiphia, that they should bring unto us ministers for the house ofour God.
18
And by the good hand ofour God upon us they brought us a man of understanding, of the sons of Mahli, the son of Levi, the son of Israel; and Sherebiah, with his sons and his brethren, eighteen;
• • •
22
For I was ashamed to require of the king a band of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy in the way: because we had spoken unto the king, saying, The hand ofour God is upon all them for good that seek him; but his power and his wrath is against all them that forsake him.
• • •
25
And weighed unto them the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, even the offering of the house ofour God, which the king, and his counsellors, and his lords, and all Israel there present, had offered:
• • •
30
So took the priests and the Levites the weight of the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, to bring them to Jerusalem unto the house ofour God.
31
¶ Then we departed from the river of Ahava on the twelfth dayof the first month, to go unto Jerusalem: and the hand ofour God was upon us, and he delivered us from the hand of the enemy, and of such as lay in wait by the way.
• • •
33
¶ Now on the fourth day was the silver and the gold and the vessels weighed in the house ofour God by the hand of Meremoth the son of Uriah the priest; and with him was Eleazar the son of Phinehas; and with them was Jozabad the son of Jeshua, and Noadiah the son of Binnui, Levites;
7
Since the days ofour fathers have we been in a great trespass unto this day; and for our iniquities have we, our kings, andour priests, been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, and to a spoil, and to confusion of face, as it is this day.
• • •
9
For we were bondmen; yet our God hath not forsaken us in our bondage, but hath extended mercy unto us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us a reviving, to set up the house ofour God, and to repair the desolations thereof, and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem.
3
Now therefore let us make a covenant with our God to put away all the wives, and such as are born of them, according to the counsel of my lord, and of those that tremble at the commandment ofour God; and let it be done according to the law.
• • •
14
Let now our rulers of all the congregation stand, and let all them which have taken strange wives in our cities come at appointed times, and with them the elders of every city, and the judges thereof, until the fierce wrath ofour God for this matter be turned from us.
5
Yet now our flesh is as the flesh ofour brethren, our children as their children: and, lo, we bring into bondage our sons and our daughters to be servants, and someofour daughters are brought unto bondage already: neither is it in our power to redeem them; for other men have our lands and vineyards.
• • •
9
Also I said, It is not good that ye do: ought ye not to walk in the fear ofour God because of the reproach of the heathen our enemies?
1
Now it came to pass, when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and Geshem the Arabian, and the rest ofour enemies, heard that I had builded the wall, and that there was no breach left therein; (though at that time I had not set up the doors upon the gates;)
• • •
16
And it came to pass, that when all our enemies heard thereof, and all the heathen that were about us saw these things, they were much cast down in their own eyes: for they perceived that this work was wrought ofour God.
9
And didst see the affliction ofour fathers in Egypt, and heardest their cry by the Red sea;
• • •
37
And it yieldeth much increase unto the kings whom thou hast set over us because ofour sins: also they have dominion over our bodies, and over our cattle, at their pleasure, and we are in great distress.
32
Also we made ordinances for us, to charge ourselves yearly with the third part of a shekel for the service of the house ofour God;
33
For the shewbread, and for the continual meat offering, and for the continual burnt offering, of the sabbaths, of the new moons, for the set feasts, and for the holy things, and for the sin offerings to make an atonement for Israel, and for all the work of the house ofour God.
34
And we cast the lots among the priests, the Levites, and the people, for the wood offering, to bring it into the house ofour God, after the houses ofour fathers, at times appointed year by year, to burn upon the altar of the Lordour God, as it is written in the law:
35
And to bring the firstfruits ofour ground, and the firstfruits of all fruit of all trees, year by year, unto the house of the Lord:
36
Also the firstborn ofour sons, and ofour cattle, as it is written in the law, and the firstlings ofour herds and ofour flocks, to bring to the house ofour God, unto the priests that minister in the house ofour God:
37
And that we should bring the firstfruits ofour dough, and our offerings, and the fruit of all manner of trees, of wine and of oil, unto the priests, to the chambers of the house ofour God; and the tithes ofour ground unto the Levites, that the same Levites might have the tithes in all the cities ofour tillage.
38
And the priest the son of Aaron shall be with the Levites, when the Levites take tithes: and the Levites shall bring up the tithe of the tithes unto the house ofour God, to the chambers, into the treasure house.
39
For the children of Israel and the children of Levi shall bring the offering of the corn, of the new wine, and the oil, unto the chambers, where are the vessels of the sanctuary, and the priests that minister, and the porters, and the singers: and we will not forsake the house ofour God.
5
By terrible things in righteousness wilt thou answer us, O God ofour salvation; who art the confidence of all the ends of the earth, and of them that are afar off upon the sea:
10
The days ofour years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.
• • •
17
And let the beauty of the Lordour God be upon us: and establish thou the work ofour hands upon us; yea, the work ofour hands establish thou it.
20
Look upon Zion, the city ofour solemnities: thine eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation, a tabernacle that shall not be taken down; not one of the stakes thereof shall ever be removed, neither shall any of the cords thereof be broken.
2
It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the Lord, and the excellency ofour God.
5
But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement ofour peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
2
To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance ofour God; to comfort all that mourn;
• • •
6
But ye shall be named the Priests of the Lord: men shall call you the Ministers ofour God: ye shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves.
7
And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee: for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because ofour iniquities.
36
And the burden of the Lord shall ye mention no more: for every man’s word shall be his burden; for ye have perverted the words of the living God, of the Lordof hosts our God.
6
But they said, We will drink no wine: for Jonadab the son of Rechab our father commanded us, saying, Ye shall drink no wine, neither ye, nor your sons for ever:
• • •
8
Thus have we obeyed the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab our father in all that he hath charged us, to drink no wine all our days, we, our wives, our sons, nor our daughters;
17
But we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth forth out ofour own mouth, to burn incense unto the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, as we have done, we, and our fathers, our kings, and our princes, in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem: for then had we plenty of victuals, and were well, and saw no evil.
16
He made many to fall, yea, one fell upon another: and they said, Arise, and let us go again to our own people, and to the land ofour nativity, from the oppressing sword.
21
¶ And it came to pass in the twelfth year ofour captivity, in the tenth month, in the fifth dayof the month, that one that had escaped out of Jerusalem came unto me, saying, The city is smitten.
1
In the five and twentieth year ofour captivity, in the beginning of the year, in the tenth dayof the month, in the fourteenth year after that the city was smitten, in the selfsame day the hand of the Lord was upon me, and brought me thither.
16
¶ O Lord, according to all thy righteousness, I beseech thee, let thine
anger and thy fury be turned away from thy city Jerusalem, thy holy
mountain: because for our sins, and for the iniquities ofour fathers, Jerusalem and thy people are become a reproach to all that are about us.
2
Take with you words, and turn to the Lord: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves ofour lips.
3
Asshur shall not save us; we will not ride upon horses: neither will we say any more to the work ofour hands, Ye areour gods: for in thee the fatherless findeth mercy.
10
Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us? why do we
deal treacherously every man against his brother, by profaning the
covenant ofour fathers?
13
The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God ofour fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go.
45
Which also our fathers that came after brought in with Jesus into the possession of the Gentiles, whom God drave out before the face ofour fathers, unto the days of David;
14
And he said, The God ofour fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will, and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth.
17
And it came to pass, that after three days Paul called the chief of the Jews together: and when they were come together, he said unto them, Men and brethren, though I have committed nothing against the people, or customs ofour fathers, yet was I delivered prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans.
12
And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith ofour father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised.
23
And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption ofour body.
7
So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming ofour Lord Jesus Christ:
8
Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day ofour Lord Jesus Christ.
• • •
10
Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name ofour Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
11
And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit ofour God.
3
Blessed be God, even the Father ofour Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;
• • •
8
For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant ofour trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life:
• • •
12
For our rejoicing is this, the testimony ofour conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward.
9
For ye know the grace ofour Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.
• • •
24
Wherefore shew ye to them, and before the churches, the proof of your love, and ofour boasting on your behalf.
4
(For the weapons ofour warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
• • •
8
For though I should boast somewhat more ofour authority, which the Lord hath given us for edification, and not for your destruction, I should not be ashamed:
3
Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts ofour flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
13
To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming ofour Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.
23
And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming ofour Lord Jesus Christ.
• • •
28
The grace ofour Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.
6
Now we command you, brethren, in the name ofour
Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that
walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us.
• • •
18
The grace ofour Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
3
If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words ofour Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness;
• • •
14
That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing ofour Lord Jesus Christ:
8
Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony ofour Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;
• • •
10
But is now made manifest by the appearing ofour Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:
15
For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling ofour infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
2
Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher ofour faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
• • •
9
Furthermore we have had fathers ofour flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?
3
Blessed be the God and Father ofour Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
3
For the time past ofour life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries:
2
Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,
• • •
8
For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge ofour Lord Jesus Christ.
• • •
11
For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom ofour Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
• • •
16
For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming ofour Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
15
And account that the longsuffering ofour Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;
• • •
18
But grow in grace, and in the knowledge ofour Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.
4
For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace ofour God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.
• • •
17
But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles ofour Lord Jesus Christ;
• • •
21
Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy ofour Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
15
And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdomsofour Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.
10
And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom ofour God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser ofour brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
16
Wherefore, let us be faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord; therefore let us go down to the land ofour father’s inheritance, for behold he left gold and silver, and all manner of riches. And all this he hath done because of the commandments of the Lord.
• • •
19
And behold, it is wisdom in God that we should obtain these records, that we may preserve unto our children the language ofour fathers;
• • •
22
And it came to pass that we went down to the land ofour inheritance, and we did gather together our gold, and our silver, and our precious things.
38
And it came to pass that we took the plates of brass and the servant of Laban, and departed into the wilderness, and journeyed unto the tent ofour father.
2
For she had supposed that we had perished in the wilderness; and she
also had complained against my father, telling him that he was a
visionary man; saying: Behold thou hast led us forth from the land ofour inheritance, and my sons are no more, and we perish in the wilderness.
5
And it came to pass that the Lord did soften the heart of Ishmael, and also his household, insomuch that they took their journey with us down into the wilderness to the tent ofour father.
• • •
21
And it came to pass that I did frankly forgive them all that they had
done, and I did exhort them that they would pray unto the Lord their God
for forgiveness. And it came to pass that they did so. And after they
had done praying unto the Lord we did again travel on our journey towards the tent ofour father.
22
And it came to pass that we did come down unto the tent ofour father. And after I and my brethren and all the house of Ishmael had come down unto the tent of my father, they did give thanks unto the Lord their God; and they did offer sacrifice and burnt offerings unto him.
13
And now, the thing which our father meaneth concerning the grafting in of the natural branches through the fulness of the Gentiles, is, that in the latter days, when our seed shall have dwindled in unbelief, yea, for the space of many years, and many generations after the Messiah shall be manifested in body unto the children of men, then shall the fulness of the gospel of the Messiah come unto the Gentiles, and from the Gentiles unto the remnant ofour seed—
14
And at that day shall the remnant ofour seed know that they are of the house of Israel, and that they are the covenant people of the Lord; and then shall they know and come to the knowledge of their forefathers, and also to the knowledge of the gospel of their Redeemer, which was ministered unto their fathers by him; wherefore, they shall come to the knowledge of their Redeemer and the very points of his doctrine, that they may know how to come unto him and be saved.
• • •
18
Wherefore, our father hath not spoken ofour seed alone, but also of all the house of Israel, pointing to the covenant which should be fulfilled in the latter days; which covenant the Lord made to our father Abraham, saying: In thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed.
11
And it came to pass that we did gather together whatsoever things we should carry into the wilderness, and all the remainder ofour provisions which the Lord had given unto us; and we did take seed of every kind that we might carry into the wilderness.
21
Behold, these many years we have suffered in the wilderness, which time we might have enjoyed our possessions and the land ofour inheritance; yea, and we might have been happy.
10
And I, Nephi, began to fear exceedingly lest the Lord should be angry with us, and smite us because ofour iniquity, that we should be swallowed up in the depths of
the sea; wherefore, I, Nephi, began to speak to them with much
soberness; but behold they were angry with me, saying: We will not that our younger brother shall be a ruler over us.
2
And I knew not at the time when I made them that I should be commanded of the Lord to make these plates; wherefore, the record of my father, and the genealogy of his fathers, and the more part of all our proceedings in the wilderness are engraven upon those first plates of which I have spoken; wherefore, the things which transpired before I made these plates are, of a truth, more particularly made mention upon the first plates.
• • •
10
And the God ofour fathers, who were led out of Egypt, out of bondage, and also were preserved in the wilderness by him, yea, the God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, yieldeth himself, according to the words of the angel, as a man, into the hands of wicked men, to be lifted up, according to the words of Zenock, and to be crucified, according to the words of Neum, and to be buried in a sepulchre, according to the words of Zenos, which he spake concerning the three days of darkness, which should be a sign given of his death unto those who should inhabit the isles of the sea, more especially given unto those who are of the house of Israel.
9
And our spirits must have become like unto him, and we become devils, angels to a devil, to be shut out from the presence ofour God, and to remain with the father of lies, in misery, like unto himself; yea, to that being who beguiled our first parents, who transformeth himself nigh unto an angel of light, and stirreth up the children of men unto secret combinations of murder and all manner of secret works of darkness.
10
O how great the goodness ofour God, who prepareth a way for our escape from the grasp of this awful monster; yea, that monster, death and hell, which I call the death of the body, and also the death of the spirit.
11
And because of the way of deliverance ofour God, the Holy One of Israel, this death, of which I have spoken, which is the temporal, shall deliver up its dead; which death is the grave.
• • •
13
O how great the plan ofour God! For on the other hand, the paradise of God must deliver up the spirits of the righteous, and the grave deliver up the body of
the righteous; and the spirit and the body is restored to itself again,
and all men become incorruptible, and immortal, and they are living
souls, having a perfect knowledge like unto us in the flesh, save it be
that our knowledge shall be perfect.
14
Wherefore, we shall have a perfect knowledge of all our guilt, and our uncleanness, and our nakedness; and the righteous shall have a perfect knowledge of their enjoyment, and their righteousness, being clothed with purity, yea, even with the robe of righteousness.
• • •
17
O the greatness and the justice ofour God! For he executeth all his words, and they have gone forth out of his mouth, and his law must be fulfilled.
• • •
19
O the greatness of the mercy ofour God, the Holy One of Israel! For he delivereth his saints from that awful monster the devil, and death, and hell, and that lake of fire and brimstone, which is endless torment.
20
O how great the holiness ofour God! For he knoweth all things, and there is not anything save he knows it.
2
For behold, the promises which we have obtained are promises unto us
according to the flesh; wherefore, as it has been shown unto me that
many ofour children shall perish in the flesh because of unbelief, nevertheless, God will be merciful unto many; and our children shall be restored, that they may come to that which will give them the true knowledge of their Redeemer.
• • •
20
And now, my beloved brethren, seeing that our merciful God has given us so great knowledge concerning these things, let us remember him, and lay aside our sins, and not hang down our heads, for we are not cast off; nevertheless, we have been driven out of the land ofour inheritance; but we have been led to a better land, for the Lord has made the sea our path, and we are upon an isle of the sea.
25
For, for this end was the law given; wherefore the law hath become dead unto us, and we are made alive in Christ because ofour faith; yet we keep the law because of the commandments.
3
And now, I would prophesy somewhat more concerning the Jews and the Gentiles. For after the book of
which I have spoken shall come forth, and be written unto the Gentiles,
and sealed up again unto the Lord, there shall be many which shall
believe the words which are written; and they shall carry them forth
unto the remnant ofour seed.
4
And then shall the remnant ofour seed know concerning us, how that we came out from Jerusalem, and that they are descendants of the Jews.
4
And if there were preaching which was sacred, or revelation which was great, or prophesying, that I should engraven the heads of them upon these plates, and touch upon them as much as it were possible, for Christ’s sake, and for the sake ofour people.
1
Now behold, it came to pass that I, Jacob, having ministered much unto my people in word, (and I cannot write but a little of my words, because of the difficulty of engraving our words upon plates) and we know that the things which we write upon plates must remain;
• • •
13
Behold, my brethren, he that prophesieth, let him prophesy to the understanding of men; for the Spirit speaketh the truth and lieth not. Wherefore, it speaketh of things as they really are, and of things as they really will be; wherefore, these things are manifested unto us plainly, for the salvation ofour souls. But behold, we are not witnesses alone in these things; for God also spake them unto prophets of old.
26
And it came to pass that I, Jacob, began to be old; and the record of this people being kept on the other plates of Nephi, wherefore, I conclude this record, declaring that I have written according to the best of my knowledge, by saying that the time passed away with us, and also our
lives passed away like as it were unto us a dream, we being a lonesome
and a solemn people, wanderers, cast out from Jerusalem, born in
tribulation, in a wilderness, and hated ofour brethren, which caused wars and contentions; wherefore, we did mourn out our days.
14
For at the present our strugglings were vain
in restoring them to the true faith. And they swore in their wrath
that, if it were possible, they would destroy our records and us, and also all the traditions ofour fathers.
2
And as these plates are small, and as these things are written for the intent of the benefit ofour brethren the Lamanites, wherefore, it must needs be that I write a little; but I shall not write the things of my prophesying, nor of my revelations. For what could I write more than my fathers have written? For have not they revealed the plan of salvation? I say unto you, Yea; and this sufficeth me.
• • •
7
And it came to pass that they came many times against us, the Nephites, to battle. But our kings and our leaders were mighty men in the faith of the Lord; and they taught the people the ways of the Lord; wherefore, we withstood the Lamanites and swept them away out ofour lands, and began to fortify our cities, or whatsoever place ofour inheritance.
• • •
14
And I, Jarom, do not write more, for the plates are small. But behold, my brethren, ye can go to the other plates of Nephi; for behold, upon them the records ofour wars are engraven, according to the writings of the kings, or those which they caused to be written.
9
Now I, Chemish, write what few things I write, in the same book with my
brother; for behold, I saw the last which he wrote, that he wrote it
with his own hand; and he wrote it in the day that he delivered them
unto me. And after this manner we keep the records, for it is according
to the commandments ofour fathers. And I make an end.
6
O my sons, I would that ye should remember that these sayings are true,
and also that these records are true. And behold, also the plates of Nephi, which contain the records and the sayings ofour fathers from the time they left Jerusalem until now, and they are true; and we can know of their surety because we have them before our eyes.
• • •
14
For I say unto you, that if he had not extended his arm in the preservation ofour fathers they must have fallen into the hands of the Lamanites, and become victims to their hatred.
2
And they had viewed themselves in their own carnal state, even less than the dust of the earth. And they all cried aloud with one voice, saying: O have mercy, and apply the atoning blood of Christ that we may receive forgiveness ofour sins, and our hearts may be purified; for we believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who created heaven and earth, and all things; who shall come down among the children of men.
• • •
14
And ye will not suffer your children that they go hungry, or naked; neither will ye suffer that they transgress the laws of God, and fight and quarrel one with another, and serve the devil, who is the master of sin, or who is the evil spirit which hath been spoken of by our fathers, he being an enemy to all righteousness.
• • •
30
But this much I can tell you, that if ye do not watch yourselves, and
your thoughts, and your words, and your deeds, and observe the
commandments of God, and continue in the faith of what ye have heard concerning the coming ofour Lord, even unto the end of your lives, ye must perish. And now, O man, remember, and perish not.
5
And we are willing to enter into a covenant with our God to do his will, and to be obedient to his commandments in all things that he shall command us, all the remainder ofour days, that we may not bring upon ourselves a never-ending torment, as has been spoken by the angel, that we may not drink out of the cup of the wrath of God.
15
For behold, we are in bondage to the Lamanites, and are taxed with a tax which is grievous to be borne. And now, behold, our brethren will deliver us out ofour bondage, or out of the hands of the Lamanites, and we will be their slaves; for it is better that we be slaves to the Nephites than to pay tribute to the king of the Lamanites.
• • •
20
And again, that same God has brought our fathers out of the land of Jerusalem, and has kept and preserved his people even until now; and behold, it is because ofour iniquities and abominations that he has brought us into bondage.
• • •
22
And all this he did, for the sole purpose of bringing this people into subjection or into bondage. And behold, we at this time do pay tribute to the king of the Lamanites, to the amount of one half ofour corn, and our barley, and even all our grain of every kind, and one half of the increase ofour flocks and our herds; and even one half of all we have or possess the king of the Lamanites doth exact of us, or our lives.
• • •
24
Yea, I say unto you, great are the reasons which we have to mourn; for behold how many ofour brethren have been slain, and their blood has been spilt in vain, and all because of iniquity.
1
I, Zeniff, having been taught in all the language of the Nephites, and having had a knowledge of the land of Nephi, or of the land ofour fathers’ first inheritance, and having been sent as a spy among the Lamanites that I might spy out their forces, that our
army might come upon them and destroy them—but when I saw that which
was good among them I was desirous that they should not be destroyed.
2
Therefore, I contended with my brethren in the wilderness, for I would that our
ruler should make a treaty with them; but he being an austere and a
blood-thirsty man commanded that I should be slain; but I was rescued by
the shedding of much blood; for father fought against father, and brother against brother, until the greater number ofour army was destroyed in the wilderness; and we returned, those of us that were spared, to the land of Zarahemla, to relate that tale to their wives and their children.
3
And yet, I being over-zealous to inherit the land ofour fathers, collected as many as were desirous to go up to possess the land, and started again on our
journey into the wilderness to go up to the land; but we were smitten
with famine and sore afflictions; for we were slow to remember the Lord our God.
4
Nevertheless, after many days’ wandering in the wilderness we pitched our tents in the place where our brethren were slain, which was near to the land ofour fathers.
• • •
12
Now they were a lazy and an idolatrous people; therefore they were
desirous to bring us into bondage, that they might glut themselves with
the labors ofour hands; yea, that they might feast themselves upon the flocks ofour fields.
• • •
17
Yea, in the strength of the Lord did we go
forth to battle against the Lamanites; for I and my people did cry
mightily to the Lord that he would deliver us out of the hands ofour enemies, for we were awakened to a remembrance of the deliverance ofour fathers.
18
And God did hear our cries and did answer our
prayers; and we did go forth in his might; yea, we did go forth against
the Lamanites, and in one day and a night we did slay three thousand
and forty-three; we did slay them even until we had driven them out ofour land.
19
And I, myself, with mine own hands, did help to bury their dead. And behold, to our great sorrow and lamentation, two hundred and seventy-nine ofour brethren were slain.
2
And I set guards round about the land, that the Lamanites might not come
upon us again unawares and destroy us; and thus I did guard my people
and my flocks, and keep them from falling into the hands ofour enemies.
3
And it came to pass that we did inherit the land ofour fathers for many years, yea, for the space of twenty and two years.
• • •
20
And it came to pass that we did drive them again out ofour land; and we slew them with a great slaughter, even so many that we did not number them.
5
But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement ofour peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
30
I rejected my Redeemer, and denied that which had been spoken of by our fathers; but now that they may foresee that he will come, and that he remembereth every creature of his creating, he will make himself manifest unto all.
32
And now I desire that this inequality should be no more in this land,
especially among this my people; but I desire that this land be a land of
liberty, and every man may enjoy his rights and privileges alike, so
long as the Lord sees fit that we may live and inherit the land, yea,
even as long as any ofour posterity remains upon the face of the land.
25
And they are upon our brethren in that land; and they are fleeing before them with their flocks, and their wives, and their children, towards our city; and except we make haste they obtain possession ofour city, and our fathers, and our wives, and our children be slain.
10
And behold, he shall be born of Mary, at Jerusalem which is the land ofour forefathers, she being a virgin, a precious and chosen vessel, who shall be overshadowed and conceive by the power of the Holy Ghost, and bring forth a son, yea, even the Son of God.
43
The spirit and the body shall be reunited again in its perfect form;
both limb and joint shall be restored to its proper frame, even as we
now are at this time; and we shall be brought to stand before God,
knowing even as we know now, and have a bright recollection of all our guilt.
23
And they are made known unto us in plain terms, that we may understand, that we cannot err; and this because ofour
being wanderers in a strange land; therefore, we are thus highly
favored, for we have these glad tidings declared unto us in all parts ofour vineyard.
• • •
26
And it shall be made known unto just and holy men, by the mouth of angels, at the time of his coming, that the words ofour fathers may be fulfilled, according to that which they have spoken concerning him, which was according to the spirit of prophecy which was in them.
4
And now, when the king heard these words, he said unto them: Now I know
that it is the Great Spirit; and he has come down at this time to
preserve your lives, that I might not slay you as I did your brethren.
Now this is the Great Spirit of whom our fathers have spoken.
9
And Ammon said unto her: Believest thou this? And she said unto him: I have had no witness save thy word, and the word ofour servants; nevertheless I believe that it shall be according as thou hast said.
13
And now when Lamoni had rehearsed unto him all these things, behold, to
his astonishment, his father was angry with him, and said: Lamoni, thou
art going to deliver these Nephites, who are sons of a liar. Behold, he robbed our
fathers; and now his children are also come amongst us that they may,
by their cunning and their lyings, deceive us, that they again may rob
us ofour property.
6
Thou also sayest, except we repent we shall perish. How knowest thou the thought and intent ofour
hearts? How knowest thou that we have cause to repent? How knowest
thou that we are not a righteous people? Behold, we have built
sanctuaries, and we do assemble ourselves together to worship God. We
do believe that God will save all men.
7
Now, these are the words which he said unto the people concerning the matter: I thank my God, my beloved people, that our great God has in goodness sent these our brethren, the Nephites, unto us to preach unto us, and to convince us of the traditions ofour wicked fathers.
• • •
9
And behold, I also thank my God, that by opening this correspondence we have been convinced ofour sins, and of the many murders which we have committed.
10
And I also thank my God, yea, my great God, that he hath granted unto us that we might repent of these things, and also that he hath forgiven us of those our many sins and murders which we have committed, and taken away the guilt from our hearts, through the merits of his Son.
11
And now behold, my brethren, since it has been all that we could do, (as we were the most lost of all mankind) to repent of all our sins and the many murders which we have committed, and to get God to take them away from our hearts, for it was all we could do to repent sufficiently before God that he would take away our stain—
12
Now, my best beloved brethren, since God hath taken away our stains, and our swords have become bright, then let us stain our swords no more with the blood ofour brethren.
13
Behold, I say unto you, Nay, let us retain our swords that they be not stained with the blood ofour brethren; for perhaps, if we should stain our swords again they can no more be washed bright through the blood of the Son ofour great God, which shall be shed for the atonement ofour sins.
• • •
15
Oh, how merciful is our God! And now behold, since it has been as much as we could do to get our stains taken away from us, and our swords are made bright, let us hide them away that they may be kept bright, as a testimony to our God at the last day, or at the day that we shall be brought to stand before him to be judged, that we have not stained our swords in the blood ofour brethren since he imparted his word unto us and has made us clean thereby.
8
Blessed be the name ofour God; let us sing to his praise, yea, let us give thanks to his holy name, for he doth work righteousness forever.
• • •
13
Behold, how many thousands ofour brethren has he loosed from the pains of hell; and they are brought to sing redeeming love, and this because of the power of his word which is in us, therefore have we not great reason to rejoice?
• • •
20
Oh, my soul, almost as it were, fleeth at the thought. Behold, he did
not exercise his justice upon us, but in his great mercy hath brought us
over that everlasting gulf of death and misery, even to the salvation ofour souls.
• • •
31
Now behold, we can look forth and see the fruits ofour labors; and are they few? I say unto you, Nay, they are many; yea, and we can witness of their sincerity, because of their love towards their brethren and also towards us.
5
Let us gather together this people of the Lord, and let us go down to the land of Zarahemla to our brethren the Nephites, and flee out of the hands ofour enemies, that we be not destroyed.
• • •
9
But Ammon said unto him: It is against the law ofour
brethren, which was established by my father, that there should be any
slaves among them; therefore let us go down and rely upon the mercies ofour brethren.
• • •
15
And it came to pass that Ammon said unto them: Behold, I and my brethren will go forth into the land of Zarahemla, and ye shall remain here until we return; and we will try the hearts ofour brethren, whether they will that ye shall come into their land.
34
And now, if we do not receive anything for our
labors in the church, what doth it profit us to labor in the church
save it were to declare the truth, that we may have rejoicings in the
joy ofour brethren?
16
Holy God, we believe that thou hast separated us from our brethren; and we do not believe in the tradition ofour brethren, which was handed down to them by the childishness of
their fathers; but we believe that thou hast elected us to be thy holy
children; and also thou hast made it known unto us that there shall be
no Christ.
17
But thou art the same yesterday, today, and forever; and thou hast
elected us that we shall be saved, whilst all around us are elected to
be cast by thy wrath down to hell; for the which holiness, O God, we
thank thee; and we also thank thee that thou hast elected us, that we
may not be led away after the foolish traditions ofour brethren, which doth bind them down to a belief of Christ, which doth lead their hearts to wander far from thee, our God.
5
And they came unto Alma; and the one who was the foremost among them
said unto him: Behold, what shall these my brethren do, for they are
despised of all men because of their poverty, yea, and more especially by our priests; for they have cast us out ofour synagogues which we have labored abundantly to build with our own hands; and they have cast us out because ofour exceeding poverty; and we have no place to worship our God; and behold, what shall we do?
• • •
9
Behold thy brother hath said, What shall we do?—for we are cast out ofour synagogues, that we cannot worship our God.
2
I would that ye should do as I have done, in remembering the captivity ofour fathers; for they were in bondage, and none could deliver them except it was the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; and he surely did deliver them in their afflictions.
3
And these plates of brass, which contain these engravings, which have the records of the holy scriptures upon them, which have the genealogy ofour forefathers, even from the beginning—
• • •
10
And who knoweth but what they will be the means of bringing many thousands of them, yea, and also many thousands ofour stiffnecked brethren, the Nephites, who are now hardening their hearts in sin and iniquities, to the knowledge of their Redeemer?
2
Behold, we have not come out to battle against you that we might shed
your blood for power; neither do we desire to bring any one to the yoke of bondage. But this is the very cause for which ye have come against us; yea, and ye are angry with us because ofour religion.
3
But now, ye behold that the Lord is with us; and ye behold that he has delivered you into our hands. And now I would that ye should understand that this is done unto us because ofour religion and our faith in Christ. And now ye see that ye cannot destroy this our faith.
12
And it came to pass that he rent his coat; and he took a piece thereof, and wrote upon it—In memory ofour God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children—and he fastened it upon the end of a pole.
• • •
22
Now this was the covenant which they made, and they cast their garments at the feet of Moroni, saying: We covenant with our God, that we shall be destroyed, even as our brethren in the land northward, if we shall fall into transgression; yea, he may cast us at the feet ofour enemies, even as we have cast our garments at thy feet to be trodden under foot, if we shall fall into transgression.
10
But, as the Lord liveth, our armies shall come upon you except ye withdraw, and ye shall soon be visited with death, for we will retain our cities and our lands; yea, and we will maintain our religion and the cause ofour God.
• • •
12
And behold, if ye do not this, I will come against you with my armies;
yea, even I will arm my women and my children, and I will come against
you, and I will follow you even into your own land, which is the land ofour
first inheritance; yea, and it shall be blood for blood, yea, life for
life; and I will give you battle even until you are destroyed from off
the face of the earth.
13
Behold, I am in my anger, and also my people; ye have sought to murder
us, and we have only sought to defend ourselves. But behold, if ye seek
to destroy us more we will seek to destroy you; yea, and we will seek our land, the land ofour first inheritance.
10
But Laman said unto them: Let us keep ofour wine till we go against the Nephites to battle. But this saying only made them more desirous to drink of the wine;
2
And these are the words which he wrote, saying: My dearly beloved brother, Moroni, as well in the Lord as in the tribulations ofour warfare; behold, my beloved brother, I have somewhat to tell you concerning our warfare in this part of the land.
3
Behold, two thousand of the sons of those men whom Ammon brought down out of the land of Nephi—now ye have known that these were descendants of Laman, who was the eldest son ofour father Lehi;
• • •
10
And I did join my two thousand sons, (for they are worthy to be called sons) to the army of
Antipus, in which strength Antipus did rejoice exceedingly; for behold,
his army had been reduced by the Lamanites because their forces had
slain a vast number ofour men, for which cause we have to mourn.
• • •
13
And now these are the cities of which the Lamanites have obtained possession by the shedding of the blood of so many ofour valiant men;
8
And now behold, I will show unto you that we soon accomplished our desire; yea, with our strong force, or with a part ofour strong force, we did surround, by night, the city Cumeni, a little before they were to receive a supply of provisions.
• • •
13
But it came to pass that our prisoners were so numerous that, notwithstanding the enormity ofour numbers, we were obliged to employ all our force to keep them, or to put them to death.
• • •
16
And now, in those critical circumstances, it became a very serious matter to determine concerning these prisoners of war; nevertheless, we did resolve to send them down to the land of Zarahemla; therefore we selected a part ofour men, and gave them charge over our prisoners to go down to the land of Zarahemla.
• • •
20
And as the remainder ofour army were about to give way before the Lamanites, behold, those two thousand and sixty were firm and undaunted.
• • •
25
And it came to pass that there were two hundred, out of my two thousand and sixty, who had fainted because of the loss of blood; nevertheless, according to the goodness of God, and to our great astonishment, and also the joy ofour whole army, there was not one soul of them who did perish; yea, and neither was there one soul among them who had not received many wounds.
26
And now, their preservation was astonishing to our whole army, yea, that they should be spared while there was a thousand ofour brethren who were slain. And we do justly ascribe it to the miraculous power of God, because of
their exceeding faith in that which they had been taught to
believe—that there was a just God, and whosoever did not doubt, that
they should be preserved by his marvelous power.
• • •
28
And now it came to pass that after we had thus taken care ofour wounded men, and had buried our dead and also the dead of the Lamanites, who were many, behold, we did inquire of Gid concerning the prisoners whom they had started to go down to the land of Zarahemla with.
• • •
30
And now, these are the words which Gid said unto me: Behold, we did start to go down to the land of Zarahemla with our prisoners. And it came to pass that we did meet the spies ofour armies, who had been sent out to watch the camp of the Lamanites.
• • •
35
And behold, we are again delivered out of the hands ofour enemies. And blessed is the name ofour God; for behold, it is he that has delivered us; yea, that has done this great thing for us.
3
Yea, and it became expedient that we should employ our men to the maintaining those parts of the land which we had regained ofour possessions; therefore it became expedient that we should wait, that we might receive more strength from the land of Zarahemla and also a new supply of provisions.
4
And it came to pass that I thus did send an embassy to the governor ofour land, to acquaint him concerning the affairs ofour people. And it came to pass that we did wait to receive provisions and strength from the land of Zarahemla.
• • •
8
But it came to pass that we did receive food, which was guarded to us by an army of two thousand men to our assistance; and this is all the assistance which we did receive, to defend ourselves and our country from falling into the hands ofour enemies, yea, to contend with an enemy which was innumerable.
9
And now the cause of these our
embarrassments, or the cause why they did not send more strength unto
us, we knew not; therefore we were grieved and also filled with fear,
lest by any means the judgments of God should come upon our land, to our overthrow and utter destruction.
10
Therefore we did pour out our souls in prayer to God, that he would strengthen us and deliver us out of the hands ofour enemies, yea, and also give us strength that we might retain our cities, and our lands, and our possessions, for the support ofour people.
• • •
12
And we did take courage with our small force which we had received, and were fixed with a determination to conquer our enemies, and to maintain our lands, and our possessions, and our wives, and our children, and the cause ofour liberty.
• • •
14
And it came to pass that on the morrow, that when the Lamanites saw that
we were in the borders by the wilderness which was near the city, that
they sent out their spies round about us that they might discover the
number and the strength ofour army.
• • •
27
And because of this our
march in the night-time, behold, on the morrow we were beyond the
Lamanites, insomuch that we did arrive before them at the city of Manti.
• • •
37
But, behold, it mattereth not—we trust God will deliver us, notwithstanding the weakness ofour armies, yea, and deliver us out of the hands ofour enemies.
38
Behold, this is the twenty and ninth year, in the latter end, and we are in the possession ofour lands; and the Lamanites have fled to the land of Nephi.
14
And now behold, I say unto you, I fear exceedingly that the judgments of God will come upon this people, because of their exceeding slothfulness, yea, even the slothfulness ofour government, and their exceedingly great neglect towards their brethren, yea, towards those who have been slain.
• • •
16
Yea, had it not been for the war which broke out among ourselves; yea,
were it not for these king-men, who caused so much bloodshed among
ourselves; yea, at the time we were contending among ourselves, if we
had united our strength as we hitherto have done; yea, had it not been for the desire of power and authority which those king-men had over us; had they been true to the cause ofour freedom, and united with us, and gone forth against our enemies, instead of taking up their swords against us, which was the cause of so much bloodshed among ourselves; yea, if we had gone forth against them in the strength of the Lord, we should have dispersed our enemies, for it would have been done, according to the fulfilling of his word.
17
But behold, now the Lamanites are coming upon us, taking possession ofour lands, and they are murdering our people with the sword, yea, our women and our children, and also carrying them away captive, causing them that they should suffer all manner of afflictions, and this because of the great wickedness of those who are seeking for power and authority, yea, even those king-men.
• • •
19
Or is it that ye have neglected us because ye are in the heart ofour country and ye are surrounded by security, that ye do not cause food to be sent unto us, and also men to strengthen our armies?
20
Have ye forgotten the commandments of the Lord your God? Yea, have ye forgotten the captivity ofour fathers? Have ye forgotten the many times we have been delivered out of the hands ofour enemies?
• • •
24
And now, except ye do repent of that which ye
have done, and begin to be up and doing, and send forth food and men
unto us, and also unto Helaman, that he may support those parts ofour country which he has regained, and that we may also recover the remainder ofour
possessions in these parts, behold it will be expedient that we contend
no more with the Lamanites until we have first cleansed our inward vessel, yea, even the great head ofour government.
25
And except ye grant mine epistle, and come out and show unto me a true spirit of freedom, and strive to strengthen and fortify our armies, and grant unto them food for their support, behold I will leave a part of my freemen to maintain this part ofour land, and I will leave the strength and the blessings of God upon them, that none other power can operate against them—
• • •
30
Behold, I wait for assistance from you; and, except ye do administer unto our relief, behold, I come unto you, even in the land of Zarahemla, and smite you with the sword, insomuch that ye can have no more power to impede the progress of this people in the cause ofour freedom.
11
We would not shed the blood ofour brethren if they would not rise up in rebellion and take the sword against us.
• • •
14
Therefore, my beloved brother, Moroni, let us resist evil, and whatsoever evil we cannot resist with our words, yea, such as rebellions and dissensions, let us resist them with our swords, that we may retain our freedom, that we may rejoice in the great privilege ofour church, and in the cause ofour Redeemer and our God.
• • •
17
Gather together whatsoever force ye can upon your march hither, and we
will go speedily against those dissenters, in the strength ofour God according to the faith which is in us.
6
Behold, my sons, I desire that ye should remember to keep the commandments of God; and I would that ye should declare unto the people these words. Behold, I have given unto you the names ofour first parents who came out of the land of
Jerusalem; and this I have done that when you remember your names ye
may remember them; and when ye remember them ye may remember their
works; and when ye remember their works ye may know how that it is said,
and also written, that they were good.
• • •
12
And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock ofour Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of
God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send
forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all
his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no
power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.
22
And for this cause wo shall come unto you except ye shall repent. For
if ye will not repent, behold, this great city, and also all those great
cities which are round about, which are in the land ofour
possession, shall be taken away that ye shall have no place in them;
for behold, the Lord will not grant unto you strength, as he has
hitherto done, to withstand against your enemies.
8
Yea, behold, all the judgments will come upon us which he has testified
unto us; for we know that he has testified aright unto us concerning our iniquities. And behold they are many, and he knoweth as well all things which shall befall us as he knoweth ofour iniquities;
• • •
22
Our father Lehi was driven out of Jerusalem because he testified of these things. Nephi also testified of these things, and also almost all ofour fathers, even down to this time; yea, they have testified of the coming of Christ, and have looked forward, and have rejoiced in his day which is to come.
41
And there were others who said: Behold, he is a god, for except he was a god he could not know of all things. For behold, he has told us the thoughts ofour hearts, and also has told us things; and even he has brought unto our knowledge the true murderer ofour chief judge.
25
And now when ye talk, ye say: If our days had been in the days ofour fathers of old, we would not have slain the prophets; we would not have stoned them, and cast them out.
11
Yea, even if they should dwindle in unbelief the Lord shall prolong
their days, until the time shall come which hath been spoken of by our fathers, and also by the prophet Zenos, and many other prophets, concerning the restoration ofour brethren, the Lamanites, again to the knowledge of the truth—
21
And they will, by the cunning and the mysterious arts of
the evil one, work some great mystery which we cannot understand, which
will keep us down to be servants to their words, and also servants unto
them, for we depend upon them to teach us the word; and thus will they
keep us in ignorance if we will yield ourselves unto them, all the days ofour lives.
7
Or in other words, yield yourselves up unto us, and unite with us and become acquainted with our secret works, and become our brethren that ye may be like unto us—not our slaves, but our brethren and partners of all our substance.
• • •
21
But Gidgiddoni saith unto them: The Lord forbid; for if we should go up
against them the Lord would deliver us into their hands; therefore we
will prepare ourselves in the center ofour lands, and we will gather all our
armies together, and we will not go against them, but we will wait till
they shall come against us; therefore as the Lord liveth, if we do this
he will deliver them into our hands.
20
I am Mormon, and a pure descendant of Lehi. I have reason to bless my God and my Savior Jesus Christ, that he brought our fathers out of the land of Jerusalem, (and no one knew it save it were himself and those whom he brought out of that land) and that he hath given me and my people so much knowledge unto the salvation ofour souls.
27
And my heart did sorrow because of this the great calamity of my people, because of their wickedness and their abominations. But behold, we did go forth against the Lamanites and the robbers of Gadianton, until we had again taken possession of the lands ofour inheritance.
28
And the three hundred and forty and ninth year had passed
away. And in the three hundred and fiftieth year we made a treaty with
the Lamanites and the robbers of Gadianton, in which we did get the lands ofour inheritance divided.
6
And there we did place our armies, that we might stop the armies of the Lamanites, that they might not get possession of any ofour lands; therefore we did fortify against them with all our force.
4
And it came to pass that they came against us again, and we did maintain
the city. And there were also other cities which were maintained by
the Nephites, which strongholds did cut them off that they could not get
into the country which lay before us, to destroy the inhabitants ofour land.
5
And when three hundred and eighty and four years had passed away, we had gathered in all the remainder ofour people unto the land of Cumorah.
• • •
11
And when they had gone through and hewn down all my people save it were twenty and four of us, (among whom was my son Moroni) and we having survived the dead ofour people, did behold on the morrow, when the Lamanites had returned unto their camps, from the top of the hill Cumorah, the ten thousand of my people who were hewn down, being led in the front by me.
10
And ye will also know that ye are a remnant of the seed of Jacob; therefore ye are numbered among the people of
the first covenant; and if it so be that ye believe in Christ, and are
baptized, first with water, then with fire and with the Holy Ghost,
following the example ofour Savior, according to that which he hath commanded us, it shall be well with you in the day of judgment. Amen.
3
Behold, O Lord, thou hast smitten us because ofour
iniquity, and hast driven us forth, and for these many years we have
been in the wilderness; nevertheless, thou hast been merciful unto us. O
Lord, look upon me in pity, and turn away thine anger from this thy
people, and suffer not that they shall go forth across this raging deep
in darkness; but behold these things which I have molten out of the rock.
23
And I said unto him: Lord, the Gentiles will mock at these things, because ofour
weakness in writing; for Lord thou hast made us mighty in word by
faith, but thou hast not made us mighty in writing; for thou hast made
all this people that they could speak much, because of the Holy Ghost which thou hast given them;
24
And thou hast made us that we could write but little, because of the awkwardness ofour hands. Behold, thou hast not made us mighty in writing like unto the brother of Jared, for thou madest him that the things which he wrote were mighty even as thou art, unto the overpowering of man to read them.
25
Thou hast also made our words powerful and great, even that we cannot write them; wherefore, when we write we behold our weakness, and stumble because of the placing ofour words; and I fear lest the Gentiles shall mock at our words.
• • •
35
Wherefore, I know by this thing which thou hast said, that if the Gentiles have not charity, because ofour
weakness, that thou wilt prove them, and take away their talent, yea,
even that which they have received, and give unto them who shall have
more abundantly.
29
And after rejecting so great a knowledge, my son, they must perish soon, unto the fulfilling of the prophecies which were spoken by the prophets, as well as the words ofour Savior himself.
2
For behold, I have had a sore battle with the Lamanites, in which we did
not conquer; and Archeantus has fallen by the sword, and also Luram and
Emron; yea, and we have lost a great number ofour choice men.
• • •
9
And notwithstanding this great abomination of the Lamanites, it doth not exceed that ofour people in Moriantum. For behold, many of the daughters of the Lamanites have they taken prisoners; and after depriving them of that which was most dear and precious above all things, which is chastity and virtue—
• • •
19
And they have become strong in their perversion; and they are alike
brutal, sparing none, neither old nor young; and they delight in
everything save that which is good; and the suffering ofour women and our children upon all the face of this land doth exceed everything; yea, tongue cannot tell, neither can it be written.
• • •
24
And if it so be that they perish, we know that many ofour
brethren have deserted over unto the Lamanites, and many more will also
desert over unto them; wherefore, write somewhat a few things, if thou
art spared and I shall perish and not see thee; but I trust that I may
see thee soon; for I have sacred records that I would deliver up unto
thee.
1
The rise of the Church of Christ in these last days, being one thousand eight hundred and thirty years since the coming ofour Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the flesh, it being regularly organized and established agreeable to the laws ofour country, by the will and commandments of God, in the fourth month, and on the sixth day of the month which is called April—
• • •
4
And this according to the grace ofour Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, to whom be all glory, both now and forever. Amen.
• • •
30
And we know that justification through the grace ofour Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is just and true;
31
And we know also, that sanctification through the grace ofour Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is just and true, to all those who love and serve God with all their mights, minds, and strength.
11
We, Joseph Smith, Jun., and Sidney Rigdon, being in the Spirit on the sixteenth day of February, in the year ofour Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty-two—
• • •
19
And while we meditated upon these things, the Lord touched the eyes ofour understandings and they were opened, and the glory of the Lord shone round about.
• • •
28
And while we were yet in the Spirit, the Lord commanded us that we
should write the vision; for we beheld Satan, that old serpent, even the
devil, who rebelled against God, and sought to take the kingdom ofour God and his Christ—
• • •
79
These are they who are not valiant in the testimony of Jesus; wherefore, they obtain not the crown over the kingdom ofour God.
9
Q. What are we to understand by the angel ascending from the east, Revelation 7th chapter and 2nd verse?
A. We are to understand that the angel ascending from the east is he to whom is given the seal of the living God over the twelve tribes of
Israel; wherefore, he crieth unto the four angels having the
everlasting gospel, saying: Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the
trees, till we have sealed the servants ofour God in their foreheads. And, if you will receive it, this is Elias which was to come to gather together the tribes of Israel and restore all things.
92
And angels shall fly through the midst of heaven, crying with a loud voice, sounding the trump of God, saying: Prepare ye, prepare ye, O inhabitants of the earth; for the judgment ofour God is come. Behold, and lo, the Bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.
19
And the nations of the earth shall honor her, and shall say: Surely Zion is the city ofour God, and surely Zion cannot fall, neither be moved out of her place, for God is there, and the hand of the Lord is there;
25
And behold, I will give unto you favor and grace in their eyes, that you
may rest in peace and safety, while you are saying unto the people:
Execute judgment and justice for us according to law, and redress us ofour wrongs.
• • •
32
That the kingdoms of this world may be constrained to acknowledge that the kingdom of Zion is in very deed the kingdom ofour God and his Christ; therefore, let us become subject unto her laws.
5
For thou knowest that we have done this work through great tribulation; and out ofour poverty we have given ofour substance to build a house to thy name, that the Son of Man might have a place to manifest himself to his people.
• • •
43
O Lord, we delight not in the destruction ofour fellow men; their souls are precious before thee;
• • •
54
Have mercy, O Lord, upon all the nations of the earth; have mercy upon the rulers ofour land; may those principles, which were so honorably and nobly defended, namely, the Constitution ofour land, by our fathers, be established forever.
• • •
78
O hear, O hear, O hear us, O Lord! And answer these petitions, and accept the dedication of this house unto thee, the work ofour hands, which we have built unto thy name;
24
Behold, the great day of the Lord is at hand; and who can abide the day of
his coming, and who can stand when he appeareth? For he is like a
refiner’s fire, and like fuller’s soap; and he shall sit as a refiner
and purifier of silver, and he shall purify the sons of
Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the
Lord an offering in righteousness. Let us, therefore, as a church and a
people, and as Latter-day Saints, offer unto the Lord an offering in
righteousness; and let us present in his holy temple, when it is
finished, a book containing the records ofour dead, which shall be worthy of all acceptation.
6
We believe that every man should be honored in his station, rulers and magistrates as such, being placed for the protection of the innocent and the punishment of
the guilty; and that to the laws all men show respect and deference, as
without them peace and harmony would be supplanted by anarchy and
terror; human laws being instituted for the express purpose of regulating our interests as individuals and nations, between man and man; and divine laws given of heaven, prescribing rules on spiritual concerns, for faith and worship, both to be answered by man to his Maker.
60
Thus was the vision of the redemption of the dead revealed to me, and I bear record, and I know that this record is true, through the blessing ofour Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, even so. Amen.
11
And Eve, his wife, heard all these things and was glad, saying: Were it not for our transgression we never should have had seed, and never should have known good and evil, and the joy ofour redemption, and the eternal life which God giveth unto all the obedient.
9
And he called his name Noah, saying: This son shall comfort us concerning our work and toil ofour hands, because of the ground which the Lord hath cursed.
3
I was born in the year ofour Lord one thousand eight hundred and five, on the twenty-third day of December, in the town of Sharon, Windsor county, State of Vermont . . . My father, Joseph Smith, Sen., left the State of Vermont, and moved to Palmyra, Ontario (now Wayne) county, in the State of
New York, when I was in my tenth year, or thereabouts. In about four
years after my father’s arrival in Palmyra, he moved with his family
into Manchester in the same county of Ontario—
• • •
54
Accordingly, as I had been commanded, I went at the end of each year, and at each time I found the same messenger there, and received instruction and intelligence from him at each ofour
interviews, respecting what the Lord was going to do, and how and in
what manner his kingdom was to be conducted in the last days.
• • •
61
The excitement, however, still continued, and rumor with her thousand
tongues was all the time employed in circulating falsehoods about my
father’s family, and about myself. If I were to relate a thousandth
part of them, it would fill up volumes. The persecution, however, became so intolerable that I was under the necessity of leaving Manchester, and going with my wife to Susquehanna county, in the State of
Pennsylvania. While preparing to start—being very poor, and the
persecution so heavy upon us that there was no probability that we would
ever be otherwise—in the midst ofour afflictions we found a friend in a gentleman by the name of Martin Harris, who came to us and gave me fifty dollars to assist us on our journey. Mr. Harris was a resident of Palmyra township, Wayne county, in the State of New York, and a farmer of respectability.
• • •
73
Immediately on our coming up out of the water after we had been baptized, we experienced great and glorious blessings from our
Heavenly Father. No sooner had I baptized Oliver Cowdery, than the
Holy Ghost fell upon him, and he stood up and prophesied many things
which should shortly come to pass. And again, so soon as I had been
baptized by him, I also had the spirit of prophecy, when, standing up, I prophesied concerning the rise of this Church, and many other things connected with the Church, and this generation of the children of men. We were filled with the Holy Ghost, and rejoiced in the God ofour salvation.
11
We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates ofour own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.
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